Short And Sweet Review: Infinity Blade 2

After reading so many people just gush over this game, I had to pick this up.  The $6.99 price is just right up my alley, so I had to give this a purchase.  I've never played the first game and I've heard that it wasn't as good as this game.  The visceral and cinematic melee combat has been expanded into a surprisingly good game for the iOS.


Presentation:
Infinity Blade 2 is a perfect representation of what iOS games are capable of. Chair has created a near-flawless combination of best-of-breed visuals and touch-controlled gameplay.   The animations are superb and just all around impressive.  The game has voice acting, which surprised me, and its your standard writing for an action game.  Your character Siris, is your stereo-typical hard-nosed knight.  His actor sounds ok I guess, other characters are pretty much forgettable though.  The bosses themselves are incredibly detailed, and will leave your mouths on the floor.

Gameplay:
I've read that Infinity Blade II picks up right where the original left off. Our hero (retroactively named Siris) needs help from The Worker of Secrets - the titular blade's creator. The catch? The Worker has been imprisoned and can only be released if three "Deathless" are defeated.  By the way this universe is much more convoluted than Final Fantasy XIII's.  There are a ton of battles that last just long enough to keep your interest but don't drag on too long.  You can play the game in short burst if you wish because of this.  After every battle gamers earn a helping of XP and Gold, allowing players to increase Siris' stats and purchase new weapons and equipment. 


The battles are fierce and intense, and flat out pure fun.  The controls are extremely responsive and intuitive,  Each and every enemy encounter felt fresh and fun for the duration of the 5 hours it took me to reach & defeat the final boss.  Different weapon types affect your abilities, so if you buy a heavy weapon such as an axe, you lose your shield and dodging ability, replaced instead by buttons that let you block with your weapon. Choose to dual-wield, and you become much more nimble.  Since I love the speed, the dual-wielding is best for me.

Final Thoughts:
The entire package is a bigger and better value than the original in virtually every way. Four times the number of combat locations. Nearly triple the volume of equipment. Once you complete it all, a robust and challenging New Game+ awaits. Chair has also told us about an aggressive post-launch support, including cooperative multiplayer "Clash Mobs." This is a definite purchase if you have an iPad or iPhone.

Final Score = 9.5/10